big, frozen block of squid

[guajolote]

I love squid but my fishmonger only sells it in 2.5 lb packages. This is the perfect amount for 2 meals, but I don't want to thaw the whole block and then re-freeze half.

Here are my choices:

1) Try to saw through it with a serrated knife. This hasn't worked so well in the past.

2) Borrow my neighbors circular saw. Fun and easy, but I may lose a finger.

3) Place under cold water and pick off the outer squids as they thaw. Put the interior block back in the freezer. This is the way I usually do it but it is a pain.

Any ideas?

[ngatti]

I love squid but my fishmonger only sells it in 2.5 lb packages. This is the perfect amount for 2 meals, but I don't want to thaw the whole block and then re-freeze half.

Here are my choices:

1) Try to saw through it with a serrated knife. This hasn't worked so well in the past.

2) Borrow my neighbors circular saw. Fun and easy, but I may lose a finger.

3) Place under cold water and pick off the outer squids as they thaw. Put the interior block back in the freezer. This is the way I usually do it but it is a pain.

Any ideas?

Let it partially thaw. That is, just enough to get your serrated through it. Then wrap and freeze the remainder, which should have remained cold enough. Hope this helps. Not definitive. Just what I could come up with.

Nick

[davidthomas8779]

Ask your fishmonger to cut it in half on his band saw. Rinse off any bits of his finger that remain.

[Hopleaf]

Let it partially thaw.  That is, just enough to get your serrated through it.  Then wrap and freeze the remainder, which should have remained cold enough.  Hope this helps.  Not definitive.  Just what I could come up with.

Nick

That's basically what I'd do. You know, get it to where there's still 'shards' of ice in there, but the meat is pliable enogh to cut through. Then you're not completely thawing the part that you want to re-freeze. You can even accomplish this partial thaw under a very cold stream of water, speeding things up.

[Matt Seeber]

cold water and pick off the outer squids as they thaw

this would be my recommendation and the thing to do it if you want to keep the squid in recognizable squid pieces. with a saw of some sort you'll end up with mangled squid. besides, there's no love in a squid saw...

another suggestion - by fresh calamari and freeze it in small packages that you can remove from the freezer one at a time.

[Bux]

fresh calamari

I wonder how much fresh calamari is really on the market. I know that most of the shrimp for sale in NYC is reputed to be thawed frozen shrimp and I suspect that's the same for squid. I imagine the squid in the NYC Greenmarket is fresh, but wonder about the rest being thawed. Consequently I'd be reluctant to freeze it for later use. In many parts of the country, I'd suspect fresh squid is just plain not available. I assume guajolote's fish monger only sells frozen squid and that he probably does't have the option of fresh squid nearby.